Physicists Have Made a Microscopic Discovery That May Hold the Key to Building Better Quantum Computers
New research is revealing the tiny problems that could be limiting the development of reliable and scalable quantum computers.
Micah Hanks
Micah Hanks is creator, co-founder, and Editor-in-Chief of The Debrief. He covers science, defense, and technology in his writing and podcasts, and you can find him at micahhanks.com and on X @MicahHanks.
Three-Dimensional Light Breakthrough Unlocks Previously “Impossible” Quantum States, Physicists Say
A new way to produce three-dimensional light fields allowa researchers to manipulate electrons into quantum states once thought impossible.
NASA Officials Reveal New PRIMA Space Telescope Will Peer into the Unknown by Exploring Mysteries of the Electromagnetic Spectrum
NASA's new PRIMA Space Telescope will search for clues to some of the most perplexing mysteries of the cosmos.
Strange Signals Were Just Detected Coming from an Alien World—and They Reveal Something Astronomers Have Never Seen Before
Scientists have traced a series of mysterious radio signals to a gigantic alien world 63 light-years from Earth.
Hidden for Centuries Near Machu Picchu, an Ancient System of Unknown Inca Roadways Has Resurfaced
More than a mile of ancient Inca roadways, long hidden beneath dense tropical vegetation, have been discovered near famous Machu Picchu.
This Unusual “Rogue DNA” Allows Some Cancers to Thrive—and Scientists Just Found Its Achilles’ Heel
New insights into "rogue DNA" that drives tumor growth has revealed a potential “Achilles heel” in the battle against cancer.
A Mysterious Life-Sized Carving in Sudan Has Long Baffled Researchers—Now Its Secret History Could Finally Be Revealed
A mysterious giant has long stood watch from a hilltop overlooking the rocky landscape of Miseeda in northern Sudan, where locals have been said to know of its existence for centuries.
James Webb Telescope Uncovers New Evidence of Cosmic Collisions—and One of Them May Have Created Our Moon
NASA's Webb Telescope has uncovered new evidence of planetary-scale collisions around distant stars, revealing clues to the origins of the Moon.
U.S. Spy Chief Warns That “Super Intelligence” is a National Security Concern
The Director of National Intelligence says AI, which the White House now calls “super intelligence," is a concern for U.S. national security.
Mystery Surrounds Destruction of U.S. Spy Satellite in Orbit as Officials Assess Possible Danger to Existing Spacecraft
A decades-old U.S. intelligence satellite has reportedly broken apart in low-Earth orbit, the U.S. Space Force (USSF) recently confirmed.
Strange Waves, Alien Oceans, and a Major Discovery at Göbekli Tepe—The Latest from The Debrief
Welcome to The Latest from The Debrief, where we take a look at the latest stories in science, tech, strange physics, ancient mysteries, the search for life beyond Earth, and more.
Could a Black Hole Be Used as a Power Plant? We Asked An Expert—Here’s the Surprising Answer
Could an advanced civilization use black holes as power plants? The short answer is yes... but figuring out how is where things get weird.
Scientists Just Discovered Strange New Materials That Force Chaotic Waves Into Order
Researchers have discovered a novel way of making chaotic light, sound, and other kinds of waves follow stable pathways.
Göbekli Tepe Remains an 11,600-Year-Old Enigma—and a New Discovery is Challenging Past Views on Its Mysterious Purpose
A recent discovery at Turkey’s famous Göbekli Tepe is offering new clues about the enigmatic ancient site’s purpose.
Hidden in Ice for Millennia, a 6,000-Year-Old Discovery Has Emerged from Western Scandinavia’s Once-Frozen Landscape
Deep in Norway’s Jotunheimen mountains, archaeologists have unearthed a discovery that remained hidden in ice for thousands of years.
A Metal Detectorist Kept Finding Ancient Coins in a German Field—Then He Hit a 1,900-Year-Old Jackpot
A surprise discovery in a German field has led to the discovery of one of the largest ancient Roman coin hoards of its kind.
Story of Former Pentagon Official Who Led U.S Government’s UAP Investigations Is Coming to Television
Terence Winter is teaming up with filmmaker Dan Farah on a new television series based on the former U.S. intelligence official who led government investigations into UAP.
Hackers Claim Major FBI Data Breach in Apparent Retaliation Against the Bureau
This week, the FBI is investigating an alleged breach of its networks, following claims by a cybercriminal group that it successfully hacked the agency.
Mysterious 1,000-Year-Old Artifacts in Florida Are Challenging What We Know About One of America’s Most Enigmatic Ancient Cultures
Mysterious artifacts unearthed in Florida are forcing archaeologists to rethink past views on America’s ancient Mississippian Culture.
Quantum Leap: Stanford Team Reports Breakthrough First Observation of Quantum Jumps in Sound
Researchers at Stanford University report the first direct observation of quantum jumps in sound, achieving a milestone in the century-long study of quantum phenomena.
1,000-Year-Old Artifact Bearing Unusual 11th Century “Medusa” Unearthed by Russian Archaeologists
An uncommon discovery by Russian archaeologists has revealed an artifact with a snake-haired figure resembling the Medusa of Greek mythology.
James Webb Space Telescope Reveals an Unexpected Discovery About the Rings of a Strange Celestial Centaur
Astronomers observing the rings of a strange celestial "centaur" using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have made an unexpected discovery.
Striking New Evidence of Hidden Chambers Near Tutankhamun’s Tomb Could Help Solve a Longstanding Archaeological Mystery
Mounting evidence points to the existence of hidden rooms and passageways near the burial chamber of Tutankhamun, new research reveals.
Future Wars Could Stretch From the Seabed to Cislunar Space, America’s Top General Warns
America’s top military officials are warning that future conflicts could unfold across an increasingly “hyper-transparent” battlefield.
New Self-Healing Material “Activates” as Damage Occurs, Offering a Game-Changing Defense Against Rust Formation
A new “smart” self-healing coating can prolong the life of structures, automobiles, and infrastructure by preventing the formation of rust.
SpaceX Just Launched a Mysterious Classified Mission for the U.S. Space Force—Here’s What We Know
This week, SpaceX launched USSF-153, a classified U.S. Space Force mission carrying a mysterious payload into orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket.
A New Organism’s “Alien” Reproduction, Levitation and Dark Matter, and Genetic Evidence of an Ancient Killer
This week, scientists report the discovery of a microorganism resembling something from sci-fi, levitation tech in the search for dark matter, genetic clues to a medieval mystery, and more.
Astronomers Detected Three Mysterious “Glitches” in a Pulsar That Had Gone Silent for Years
Astronomers monitoring an unusual young neutron star report a stellar surprise after years of apparent silence.
Physicists Report Levitation Experiment That May Signal a Breakthrough in the Search for Mysterious Dark Matter
Scientists have used levitation to transform a tiny magnet into a detector that can sense some of nature’s faintest forces.
15,000-Year-Old Cave Discovery in Ireland Could Push Back Earliest Evidence of Humans on the Island by 5,000 Years
New archaeological discoveries in Ireland could push back the earliest human presence on the island by as much as 5,000 years.
Hidden in a Museum Collection for More Than a Century, Researchers Have Just Made a Bizarre New Discovery
Researchers reveal several new species of a bizarre ocean creature that were uncovered after being hidden for decades in museum collections.
What Caused Antarctica to Freeze Millions of Years Ago? New Clues Could Finally Solve This Longstanding Climate Mystery
New clues to the formation of our planet’s oldest and largest ice sheet could help resolve a longstanding enigma about the southernmost continent.
Conflict in the Final Frontier: The U.S. and China are Preparing for a New Era of Warfare in Space
This week we look at how the U.S., China, and other world powers are developing increasingly sophisticated military capabilities in space.
The Search for a “Second Earth,” a Magnetic “Clock” in Ancient Pottery, and Alien Life Lurking in Venus’s Clouds
This week, a major Roman telescope discovery could soon be on the horizon, along with other space, science, technology, and ancient stories in the news.
Ancient Inca Complex with Surprisingly Advanced Ventilation System Uncovered High in the Andes
High in the Andes, archaeologists working at an ancient pre-Hispanic settlement have uncovered evidence of sophisticated ancient technology.
One Confirmed Dead, At Least 15 Remain Missing After Major Flash Flood Strikes Grand Canyon National Park
Officials at Grand Canyon National Park say one visitor died and at least 15 are missing after a major flash flood over the weekend.
A Lost English “Ghost Village,” Long Hidden Beneath One of England’s Largest Reservoirs, Has Mysteriously Resurfaced
The remains of a “lost” English village hidden beneath the waters of an English reservoir for more than half a century have resurfaced.
Crisis in Cosmology Intensifies as Debate Over Whether the Universe Is Really Accelerating is Reignited
A cosmological controversy has been reignited over whether observations of supernovae support long-held ideas about the universe's expansion.
Lost for 6,000 Years, a Neolithic “Jigsaw Puzzle” Was Reassembled—Revealing a Massive Monument Hidden Across Ancient Sites in France
An archaeological mystery surrounds pieces of a lost neolithic monument hidden across ancient sites in France.
The Classified Roots of NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope: How a Spy Agency’s Secret Satellite Became a Space Observatory
NASA’s new premier space observatory, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, has roots in one of America’s spy agencies.
“No One Has Seen Anything Like It Before”: Mystery Surrounds Ancient Stone Structure Unearthed in Scotland
Archaeologists report the baffling discovery of an unusual stone structure containing human remains near Dornoch in northern Scotland.
NASA’s Roman Space Telescope Could Soon Unravel the Greatest Mysteries of the Cosmos—Here’s What to Expect
This week, NASA is preparing to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, its next flagship space observatory.
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is Ready for Launch—Here’s How to Watch it Happen This Sunday
NASA is preparing the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope for launch, kicking off its mission to unlock the mysteries of dark energy.
2,500-Year-Old Mystery Surrounds a Larger-Than-Life Discovery Unearthed by Archaeologists in Turkey
Archaeologists have uncovered a massive discovery—and an all new mystery—at the site of an ancient lost city in western Turkey.
Paleontologists Uncover a Graveyard of Ancient Sea ‘Monsters’ in the Sands of Egypt’s Deserts
New research reveals the diversity of ancient shark communities that swam modern-day Egypt’s ancient oceans in the Late Cretaceous.
‘Little Red Dots’ Remain a Cosmic Mystery—and New Research Reveals They May Be Keeping a Very Big Secret
Little red dots have perplexed researchers since their discovery—and now we may be closer than ever to unraveling their mystery.
Yellowstone Has a 150-Year-Old Sonic Mystery—and Scientists Still Aren’t Sure What Causes It
Visitors to Yellowstone National Park have long reported unusual sounds that seem to center on the famous park’s largest lakes.
Mobile Hypersonic Spaceports, a Manhattan-sized “Ice Island,” and a Lost City Surfaces in Egypt
This week, a commercial space company reveals a game-changing new launch capability, satellites capture the formation of a Manhattan-sized "ice island," and much more.
Look: Satellites Capture Dramatic Moment a Manhattan-Sized Iceberg Broke Away from a Greenland Glacier
A massive chunk of Greenland’s Petermann Glacier has broken away, forming an iceberg the size of Manhattan in...
Scientists Have Uncovered Large Quantities of Hidden Hydrogen Beneath Australia—and It Could Lead to a Clean Energy Breakthrough
Researchers say an untapped source of clean energy has been hiding beneath Western Australian soil, where some of the world’s largest iron deposits could harbor an unexpected secret.